Wilde Lake takes Class 3A East Regional title from River Hill

Last week, No. 18 Wilde Lake defeated Atholton, 21-7, in the Class 3A East Regional semifinals, seven days after falling to the Raiders, 27-15.

On Friday night, the Wildecats got a little revenge on another Howard County foe that handed them a regular season loss.

Wilde Lake used a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Kelly to Eron Pruitt in overtime to knock off defending regional champion River Hill, 13-7.

The No. 7 Hawks, who bounced the Wildecats, 21-6 on Oct. 15, jumped out to a quick 7-0 advantage after running back Aaron Wells ran for a three-yard score in the first quarter.

AJ Harris responded in the second quarter, tying the game with a 23-yard touchdown run.  Harris, a senior, finished with 56 yards on 12 carries and the score.

A scoreless second half led to overtime, where the visiting Wildecats used the Pruitt touchdown reception to advance to the state final four.

Senior running back Khalil Viera rushed for 103 yards on 18 carries for Wilde Lake (9-3).  On defense, Teka Hayes recovered a fumble and Antoine Barnes had an interception.

The Wildecats move on to the 3A state semifinals round for the second time in three years.  In 2008, the Columbia school made it to finals at M&T Bank Stadium before falling to Westlake, 13-0.